NHL enters talks for new TV deals flying high

NBC will televise the Winter Classic, nine additional regular-season games, some weekend playoff matchups and up to five games of the Stanley Cup finals this season. Versus is scheduled to air 79 regular-season games and the remainder of the playoffs.

The Flyers weren't the only ones left off national TV in the first round of last season's playoffs. Of 49 games, only 26 were broadcast nationally in the United States in their entirety, with another 10 joined in progress. All Major League Baseball and NBA playoff games are televised nationally.

Another hindrance to exposure: "National" doesn't mean everybody can see them. Versus is available in just 65 percent of American homes with televisions.

Putting games on ESPN in any sport means the network can promote them during other highly watched events. Plus it can draw in more casual fans who often flip over to ESPN just to see what's on.

The trade-off in gaining all those extra potential viewers is the NHL would have to compete for time and favorable programming slots with the many other major sports aired on ESPN's networks. Versus, in contrast, has dedicated itself to deep and frequent coverage of the league.

"We cover it like no one else has ever covered it," network president Jamie Davis.